I Play for Keeps
by xxHollowedNightmares
Summary: For IX-tsukuyomi-XI! It started out as a game at first between them... a very simple game. How did the game morph into something to where he would end up with a broken heart he didn't know... AU. Rated M to be safe!
1. Part I

**A/N: This is for raffle winner, ****IX-tsukuyomi-XI****. ****This is also AU, but not XOver. This is also a two-shot, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII.**

**Warning(s): Yaoi, language, implied mature themes…eh, idk! Hahaha!**

**Pairing(s): Seph/Cloud at first… others are obvious.**

"Present"

"**Flashback"**

* * *

_**I Play for Keeps**_

It started out as a game at first between them…a very simple game. How did the game morph into something to where he would end up with a broken heart he didn't know. Hell, Sephiroth didn't even know that they were still playing the damn game. He didn't know if what he was seeing was even apart of the game r not, but it didn't matter anymore. Never in his life had he thought that they would betray him like this. For in Sephiroth's bed laid Cloud, the love of his life, and Vincent, his cousin, completely naked.

* * *

"**Sephiroth! Let's play a game."**

**Vincent whispered to Sephiroth, who was in the bed above him. They lived in an orphanage since a wild fire took away their family and their friend's family as well. It was nighttime now and Sephiroth wasn't exactly happy to have been woken up by his last remaining relative.**

"**What kind of game, Vince? You know that I don't like playing with you."**

"**Aww, why not?" the 8 year old pouted.**

"**Because I'm the one who always gets in trouble! You get off clean!" the 7 year old huffed.**

"**Yeah by the grown ups, not by Genesis…his punches hurt by the way!"  
"Yeah, well, maybe you deserved them."**

"**Whatever, but back to what I was saying, we're gonna play a game. Don't worry, you won't get into trouble."**

"…**what kind of game?"**

"**Let's just call it, Keeps."**

"**What does that mean?"**

"**It means that if we both find something that we like, we quickly have to grab it and say 'keeps!' Whoever does it first wins!"**

"**That's stupid…"**

"**No, it's not! You actually have a shot at beating me! We'll start playing tomorrow."**

"**This is a bad idea…"**

"**Nuh-uh!"**

"**Uh-huh!"**

"**Nuh-uh!"**

"**Uh-huh!"**

"**NUH-UH!"**

"**Vincent shut up before I come over there!" Genesis yelled from his bed, which was across the room.**

"**Hey, no fair! How come you're always yelling at me instead of Sephiroth? He was involved too!" Vincent said to the 8 year old.**

"**Because I don't like you and you're always getting Seph into trouble."**

**Sephiroth began to giggle.**

"**Psh! Whatever. Night…" Vincent said as he rolled over and fell asleep.**

**And like Vincent said, they began their game as soon as they woke up. They would play over small things like sandwiches, toys, clothes, towels, and other things that didn't matter. They continued to play the game for years, even through their teen years. **

* * *

Sephiroth stopped playing the game a long time ago after he and Cloud moved in together. He knew that Vincent didn't take that too well, but they were too old to be playing a childish game at 21 years old. Is that why he did this? Granted, he knew that his cousin could literally have anyone he wanted, but he had no idea that he was even remotely interested in Cloud nor did he think that Cloud would ever cheat on him, especially with his cousin, but there they were, as bright as day, tangled in the sheets with Cloud laying against Vincent like he would when they were sleeping next to each other. Sephiroth didn't know what to think anymore. He had thought that he treated Cloud well enough…loved him enough, but obviously it wasn't so. He had always cared for Cloud even on the first day they met…

* * *

**Sephiroth was 15 when he first met Cloud. He was walking to the lunch room to meet his friends when he heard yelling coming from the play ground. He looked out of the window to see that a group of teens were beating up a blond haired boy. With a frown on his face, he opened the door to the play ground area and walked up to the crowd. He didn't ask any questions because he knew that the leader always chose to beat up someone that was weaker than him. With a swift punch, he had the leader knocked out and the followers ran away, they all knew that they didn't stand a chance against him. He looked down at the boy. It seemed that he got there in time because it looked like he only had a bloody lip. The boy stared at him before blushing and turning away. Sephiroth chuckled.**

"**Hi. My name's Sephiroth." Sephiroth said as he held out a hand for the boy to take.**

"**I know who you are…" the boy said, still looking away from him. Sephiroth's brow furrowed in confusion.**

"**Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't think I've seen you before. How long have you been here?"**

"**Four years…"**

**Sephiroth's eyes widened in shock. Sephiroth knew everyone in the orphanage…or so he thought.**

"**How old are you?"**

"**I turned fifteen yesterday."**

"**Ah, well happy be-lated birthday."**

"**Thank you…"**

**Silence.**

"**How do know me?"**

"**I see you all the time out here…you're usually with that one guy that always yells at people."**

"**Ah, you mean Genesis. He's does that quite a lot doesn't he?" Sephiroth laughed out. He stopped when he didn't hear the boy laughing too.**

"**Why didn't you come over to say hello? I know that Genesis may seem scary, but he's by no means rude…well, sometimes, but he would've said hi."**

"**I-I'm very shy…" the boy's cheeks darkened. Sephiroth knew the boy was lying.**

"**Is that the truth?" Sephiroth asked teasingly, which made the boy's cheeks redder than they already were. Sephiroth laughed.**

"**You're cute."**

**The boy gasped in shock before turning to him with wide blue eyes. Sephiroth smiled.**

"**Come, let's clean up your lip, then we can go and have lunch with my friends. I'm sure that they'll like you…except for Genesis. He doesn't like anyone except for me and my friend Angeal."**

**The boy smiled before he finally took his hand and got out of the sand.**

"**Okay…my name's Cloud." He said as he dusted the sand off of him.**

"**Nice name…and hair too." Sephiroth said as he ran his fingers through the soft spikes of blond hair, he was surprised that his fingers were able to go through them. Cloud's blush darkened, making Sephiroth laugh anew. Sephiroth offered his arm to Cloud and Cloud smiled before taking the offered arm and resting his head against Sephiroth's shoulder with his cheeks still red as they walked back inside the orphanage…never noticing the brunette that was watching them.**

**After Sephiroth helped Cloud fix his lip, they entered into the lunch hall, with Cloud still latched onto his arm. Sephiroth smiled when he noticed that his group appeared to be up to something by how the way Reno kept looking around. Sephiroth led Cloud over to there table before greeting his friends.**

"**If you guys are up to something, y'all shouldn't have made Reno the lookout. He looks suspicious." Sephiroth grinned.**

"**Well, I wouldn't have had to make him lookout if a certain silver-haired asshole had arrived to lunch on time! Where the HELL have you been and who the hell is that with you! I sent Vincent out to find you ages ago!" Genesis yelled while glaring at Sephiroth, making everyone, except for Angeal and Sephiroth, cringe.**

"**Eh, I haven't seen him. Everyone, this is Cloud, my new friend. I was late because I was helping him fend off Drake and his crew of people." Sephiroth smiled as Cloud shyly waved to the group of teens as they said hello back.**

"**Aww, that's so like Seph! Always saving others!" Aeris said with a sigh as Tifa nodded in agreement.**

"**No."**

**Everyone turned to look at Genesis as Sephiroth sat down next to him, making Cloud sit down beside him and next to Aeris, who giggled and called him cute.**

"**What do you mean by saying no?" Sephiroth asked.**

"**I'm saying that the blond can't be with us because he looks too young and we already have a puppy that we seem to not be able to get rid of! It's bad enough that Zack won't stop following Angeal and that one is already following you! Besides, he will distract you."**

"**Distract me from what?" Sephiroth said with a chuckle.**

"**Duh, **_**me**_**! I demand Angeal's and your attention at all times and since Angeal is distracted by that damn puppy, I demand more of yours and forbid you of having a puppy too!" Genesis said before he took a nice size bite out of his sandwich for emphasis.**

"**Aww, c'mon, Gen! Cloud's no where near as bad as Zack is. He won't follow the reflection of shiny objects."**

"**Let's see…"**

**Genesis reached into his pocket and pulled out his shiny compact mirror before using the sunlight behind him to shine the circle of light in front of Cloud. Cloud followed where the circle of light was coming from and looked at Genesis with a confused look on his face.**

"**What are you doing?"**

"**I was seeing whether or not if you are as stupid as Zack is…but you're not! Seph he can stay…for now."**

"**Thank you Gen…" Sephiroth said as he nuzzled his head against Genesis' shoulder.**

"**Hey! I'm not stupid you son of a – OOOOHHH! SHINY!" Zack, who was sitting in front of Cloud, began with a frown on his face, but it changed to one of pure happiness when he saw Genesis' mirror and began to reach over the table for it. Genesis smirked before he whistled like how people would do for dogs and threw the mirror not too far from their table. Much to Cloud's surprise, Aeris' embarrassment, and everyone else's amusement, they saw the 15 year old quickly jump up to go and get the mirror and happily walked back to the table and show his girlfriend what he had. Everyone laughed as Aeris grabbed the mirror from Zack and handed it back to Genesis.**

"**Hey, pup, we have a job to finish here!" Cid said as he looked at the clock.**

"**Oh, yeah!" Zack said as he grabbed his Styrofoam container of mashed potatoes and proceeded to throw them on the floor alongside Cid.**

"**So, what's the event for today?" Sephiroth asked Genesis with a smirk on his face.**

"**The Slip 'n' Slide." Genesis evilly chuckled.**

"**Nice."**

"**Sephiroth, what's the Slip 'n' Slide?" Cloud asked confusedly.**

"**It's when we take whatever food that's on the lunch menu and put it on the floor for the Matron to slip and fall on."**

"**Why would you guys want to do that? Won't she get mad?" Cloud asked with his eyes wide opened.**

"**It's because that bitch has it out for me, that's why! Since she found that rat in her lunchbox and screamed and I just so happened to be the only one who found it funny and vocalized it, she's been blaming me for that and whatever other prank others are doing to her! It pisses me off, so I decided to get her back for always making me clean the damn bathrooms and classrooms by myself! I could care less if she gets mad!" Genesis smirked at his own genius plot.**

"**Well you**_** were**_** the one who did put the rat in her lunchbox…" Angeal said.**

"**So? That doesn't mean that I did all of those other pranks!"**

"**You did a majority of them…"**

"**Angeal, shut up…"**

"**Hey, Big Red, we have a problem here." Cid said with a frown.**

"**What is it?"**

"**The mashed potatoes ain't workin'. They're too thick and we can't use the gravy or else it will become too noticeable."**

"**Then use the milk."**

"**They stopped serving regular milk a month ago, Genesis."**

"**WHAT? WHY!"**

"**Because that's what we used on the last Slip 'n' Slide and the Matron wanted to prevent another one from happening!"**

"**DAMMIT! SHE SPOILED MY PLOTTING ONCE AGAIN!" Genesis yelled as he slammed his fist down on the table, making all of the other kids in the hall stare at him.**

"**The **_**fuck**_** are y'all looking at!" Genesis yelled again before the kids flinched and quickly went back to eating.**

"**So, what do we do?" Cid said as he folded his arms.**

"**I don't know…anyone have any ideas?"**

**The table became quiet before Cloud spoke.**

"**Um…do you guys have any mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and water?"**

**Everyone turned to look at him, which made Cloud blush.**

"**What are we supposed to do with those things?" Genesis said in a serious tone.**

"**Y-you could use the ranch dressing to help thinnen out the mashed potatoes and since the ranch dressing matches the color of the floor tiles, it will help to camouflage the mess…the water can be used as a thinner too and the mayonnaise will help to leave a stain on her clothes since she's wearing a cream suit today…"**

**Genesis stared at him before turning to Reno.**

"**How much time do we have before she comes?"**

"**About 12 minutes…It's 1:18."**

"**Well, y'all heard the private! Seph and Private Cloud, since y'all didn't get lunch yet, go and order a salad with extra dressing on the side. Tifa and Aeris, fork over your sandwiches to Zack so he can scrape off the mayonnaise from the bread. Angeal and I will go and put some water in our juice cans. We got 10 minutes to make this work, move out!" Genesis said with a smile on his face before he and Angeal got up and made their way to the water fountain. Sephiroth and Cloud hurried over to the lunch line, luckily for them it was still open and the line was short.**

"**Why did he call me Private Cloud?" Cloud asked as he grabbed a tray.**

"**It's his way of saying that he's on his way to liking you and he thanks you for your help." Sephiroth said with a smile on his face, making Cloud smile too before he placed his order as Genesis directed him to.**

"**3…2…1… Showtime!" Reno said as the clock stuck 1:30. The hall entrance doors opened and the room became silent as the scowling face of the Matron appeared. She began to make her rounds around the other tables that were not too far from where Sephiroth and the others were.**

"**Okay she's almost in position…Private Cloud and Tifa, are y'all ready?" Genesis whispered to the gang as they acted like they were eating their lunch. Cloud and Tifa nodded.**

"**Good, now wait for my call…"**

**They all watched out of the corner of their eyes for the Matron to get into the right position. As soon as she was, Genesis whispered 'Action!' Tifa began to act like she was choking and Cloud shot up out of his seat.**

"**Oh my god, Tifa! Are you alright!" Cloud yelled loud enough to get the Matron's attention. He quickly ran to the other side of the table where Tifa was sitting, making sure that he nearly stepped in the mashed potato mess before running up to Tifa and lightly patting her on the back.**

"**Help! Someone please help! She's still choking! Matron! Matron help!" Cloud yelled again, making sure that his face looked like he was about to cry as the others played their role as the shocked friends who didn't know what to do. The Matron quickly jogged over to where they were and just like Genesis wanted, she slipped on the mashed potato mess and landed in it with a splat. The entire lunch hall busted out laughing at the site of the stuck up Matron being on the floor with mashed potatoes, ranch dressing, and mayonnaise all over her back as she tried to get up. Tifa turned her fake choking into laughter as Cloud, along with the rest of the table, joined in with the hall and laughed as well. As soon as she got up, she glared at Genesis.**

"**You…and all of your friends in my office, NOW!" she yelled, making the hall become quiet again.**

"**Yeah, yeah…bitch…" Genesis mumbled before motioning for everyone to get up and leave.**

"**You might want to find a good dry cleaner for that…" Genesis said while motioning to her back as he passed by her, which caused her to yell at him again before he ran to catch up with his posse with a big grin on his face. **

* * *

Sephiroth sighed. That was also the day when he gave Cloud his first kiss before everyone went to bed. It has been 8 years since that day, 7 since he officially started to date Cloud and 2 since they've moved in together. As much as he wanted to scream and try to kill Vincent and Cloud both for doing this to him, he couldn't summon the strength to do it. There would be nothing good that would come out of him doing such a thing… With that in mind, Sephiroth grabbed the cell phone out of his pocket and quietly stepped out of his old bedroom before dialing Genesis' number and asking for him to pick him up and that he'll explain why when he gets in the car. After Genesis said that he would be on his way, Sephiroth grabbed his suitcases from the closet and began to pack his things, saving his things in the bedroom for last. When he entered the bedroom again, he noticed that Cloud had shifted from his hold on Vincent and over to his dresser. Sephiroth moved to the closet and grabbed his stuff from there and the bathroom before making his way to the dresser. Sephiroth opened the dresser to get his socks and boxers and when he closed it, the sound made Cloud yawn before he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times before he was able to see Sephiroth clearly. He smiled at him before he noticed that Sephiroth was removing his stuff from the dresser.

"Seph, what are you doing? You have another business trip to go to already?"

"No, I'm moving out… It's over Cloud." Sephiroth said emotionless as he moved the handful of stuff into the duffle bag beside him. Cloud sat up in the bed and stared at Sephiroth, the sleep completely gone from his eyes and a look of horror replaced them.

"W-what? W-why? What did…WHAT DID I DO!"

"My fucking cousin, that's what you did!"

"What! No I –"

Vincent shifted in the bed, making Cloud turn around and gasp in shock before turning back to Sephiroth.

"Seph, you have to believe me when I say –"

"Oh what? 'That it was a mistake?' Do you really think that I'm that stupid Cloud?"

"N-no, b-but it's the t-truth…I-I know that I was drinking with Zack and Reno, but I didn't even know that Vincent was there or how we even got back here, I swear Sephiroth! I would never lie to you! You know that!" Cloud said as his face turned red as tears fell from his eyes. Sephiroth stared at him. As much as he wanted to believe that Cloud was telling him the truth, he couldn't…he needed to get out of here.

"Goodbye, Cloud." Sephiroth said as he got up and placed the duffle bag over his shoulder before walking out of the bedroom, with a screaming, crying, and stumbling Cloud behind him, begging for him to stay. Sephiroth picked up his other two bags and before he turned the doorknob to leave, Cloud said the one thing that he _didn't_ want to hear. If it were any other time before this, he would've been more than happy to hear it.

"Sephiroth, please…I LOVE YOU!"

Sephiroth didn't turn around to face him…he knew that if he did, he wouldn't leave. He knew what power those emotional clear blue eyes had over him. They would always make him give in…always make him say sorry first when they had their spats…he couldn't allow them to do that this time…

"If you loved me enough, you wouldn't have done it…"

Sephiroth opened the door and left his old home, leaving Cloud on the floor, sobbing and still pleading for him to come back.

* * *

"What the –! I thought you said to come and pick you up, not you and your stuff! I don't have room for all of that!"

"Genesis, you drive a minivan, I'm sure that you have plenty of room."

Sephiroth grinned at his favorite redhead as he opened up the sliding door and put his bags in before he got into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt before Genesis drove off.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I have to drive this piece of shit! Angeal said this is more _ideal_ for us than a Mustang! Seriously, who the hell turns down a Mustang!"

"One that knows that his 'wife' has a speeding problem as is…" Sephiroth chuckled as someone blew their horn at them because Genesis switched lanes without turning on his blinker.

"Yeah, yeah…so, why am I coming to get you at 5:56 in the morning again?"

"Because I found Cloud in bed this morning with Vincent."

"…"

"Gen –"

"THAT SON OF A BITCH! HE DID WHAT! AND WITH WHO! YOUR FUCKING –"

"Genesis you ran a red light…"

"WHO GIVES A SHIT, AND SHUT UP WHILE I'M TALKING!"

"Yes mother…"

"You see Seph, I told you from get-go that Cloud was trouble! Now look what he's gone and done! LITERALLY! To throw away a 7 year relationship for what! I tell you one thing; he'd better not come around my fucking house or even call me because I'll kill him Seph! Vincent is already at the top of my list so you don't have to worry about him! When Cid hears about this he's gonna flip!"

"Aren't you kinda overreacting?"

"I'm shocked that you aren't! And if this whole situation has something to do with that stupid game you and Valentine used to play, I'm sorry to say this, but you _will_ be the last one remaining of your family. But seriously, why are you so calm about this?"

"I…I really don't know myself…"

Genesis sighed.

"You're welcome to stay with me and Angeal for as long as you like…"

"I know. That's why I went ahead and packed."

Genesis chuckled before he went back to keeping his eyes on the road and watching out for the cops. Sephiroth moved his seat back some before resting his head on his folded arms and closed his eyes. He'll get through this…just like he got through the death of his family…by taking one day at a time and eating Genesis' delicious pancakes that he knew that he better make when they got home.

**End of Part I**

* * *

**A/N: No, this is not a 'Cloud is a slut' fic. You just have to wait and see how things unfold… :)**

**R&R**

**-**_**KTK**_


	2. Part II

_**Six Months Later…**_

Cloud sighed for the umpteenth time in the bathroom. He still couldn't accept that he and Sephiroth weren't together anymore. He tried calling him everyday for the first two months on his cell to try and explain things, but all he got was Genesis cussing him out then hanging up before he could even mutter one word. When Genesis threatened that he'd come over to his apartment and kill him, he finally gave up on trying to reach Sephiroth. There was no way in hell that he was going over to Genesis' house.

"How did it get this way…" Cloud quietly asked himself before he started crying again. He himself didn't know. He would have _never_ willingly cheated on Sephiroth. Of course they fought like normal couples do, but that would have never been enough for him to do it, and he certainly wasn't tired of Sephiroth. He was all he ever needed in life… When Sephiroth told him that he was leaving him and told him of what he had done that dreaded morning, his heart had shattered.

All he could remember from the night before was that he and Sephiroth had another fight over Sephiroth being gone for so long then coming back and leaving out again for long periods of time. Granted, Sephiroth's job was what was keeping everything on in the apartment, but Cloud was seeing him less and less. Sephiroth got up and left the apartment saying that he was going over to Genesis' house for the night. A few minutes later, Zack called him to say that he and Reno were going to a local pub and that they wanted him to go. Reluctantly, he agreed and he met them at the pub. He was having fun with them for the first half hour, then the next thing he knew, he was woken up by the dresser drawer slamming shut and Sephiroth telling him that he was leaving. After Sephiroth left, Vincent had gotten up and told him not to worry about Seph anymore and he'd take care of him. Cloud had never slapped somebody so hard before in his life, and he was satisfied that Vincent left his apartment with a nice size welt on his face. After Vincent had left, he called Zack and Reno to see if they remembered anything from last night before he explained to them what had happened that morning. Unfortunately, both of them said that they couldn't remember either. What he couldn't believe was that a few weeks after Cloud had his heart broken, Vincent showed up at his door saying that Cid kicked him out and that he knew that he hated being alone and was moving in. Granted, he did hated being alone and that those weeks by himself were truly depressing, that didn't mean that he wanted the person responsible for making Sephiroth leave him being in his house. His screams for Vincent to leave were met on deaf ears as Vincent moved pass him and threw his stuff on the couch before he threw him against the door and kissed him. Cloud still didn't know how the fight they had afterward turned into them having sex in his bed. To say that Cloud felt dirty was an understatement. He still felt that way when Vincent declared to their friends that they were dating a few days after he moved in, and still felt that way up until today. When Zack asked him did he love Vincent now, he told him no, which was true. No one could replace Sephiroth, not even his cousin.

"Cloud, hurry up! We have to leave soon if we're gonna make it on time!" Vincent shouted while banging on the bathroom door.

"Wh-where are we going?" Cloud said as he wiped his eyes.

"I'm surprised that you don't remember. Today's Sephiroth's birthday! Genesis is throwing a party for him at his house."

Cloud's eyes widened. It was today already? Cloud sighed.

"But we weren't invited…I highly doubt Genesis would want us there…"

"He didn't invite us, but the birthday boy did. Now hurry up!"

Cloud gasped in shock. Why would _Sephiroth_ invite them to his birthday party? Unless… Cloud smiled. He did need to hurry. He had to go and pick up his present.

* * *

Sephiroth happily ate his pancakes at the kitchen table with Angeal as he heard Genesis yelling at the party designer who brought in blue decorations instead of green.

"Does Genesis know who you invited?" Angeal asked him in between bites.

"I'll tell him before they arrive."

"…Why did you invite them?"

"Because I got over what happened and them dating now and I don't mind if they come. Besides, they are still friends with everyone else, except for Genesis and Cid."

"I hope you made the right decision Seph…either way it goes, Genesis won't be happy with them being here."

"Then let this be a way for mother to get over it too father."

Angeal laughed before he got up to wash his plate. Sephiroth's smile disappeared when Angeal turned his back to him. He didn't know what made him decide to call over there and tell Vincent that they were allowed to come to his birthday party, but it was too late to tell them that they couldn't come anymore. Besides, like he said, he had gotten over it and accepted it. Cloud made his choice and even though it left him broken hearted, he accepted it and moved on.

"Sephiroth, why the hell aren't you dressed yet! Guests will be here in less than an hour and you're still in your boxers!" Genesis yelled as he took away Sephiroth's half eaten pancakes and threw them away.

"You know that you just wasted food…"

"I know that if a certain silver-haired man that's turning 24 today doesn't get off of his ass and get dressed, I'll be putting my foot up his ass!"

"Alright, mother…I'll get dressed now."

"Good. And for god's sake stop calling me mother!"

Sephiroth laughed as he got up from his chair and went upstairs to put on his suit. The past six months have been better for him. He found himself to be a lot happier than he had been in a long time. He knew it was because he had stopped taking the business trips and now he was able to spend more time with his friends. He was able to see Zack and Aeris' baby boy a lot more than he had before as well and was quite happy to get to see him again today. All the while, he hadn't thought of Cloud until today and he didn't know whether or not he should be happy about that. Sephiroth shrugged it off. He didn't need to think of him any more than he needed to. It was bad enough that he was going to see him today…

* * *

To say that Cloud was nervous was an understatement when Vincent rung Genesis and Angeal's doorbell. He was scared because he knew that Genesis would be more than pissed off that they were here, and late, and he was anxious to see Sephiroth since he hadn't seen him in six months. Maybe he could finally get a chance to explain things to him…

"It's open…" he heard Angeal yell from the other side of the door.

"Could you open the door Vince? This box isn't exactly light…" Cloud asked while shuffling the box in his hands. As soon as Cloud stepped through the door he saw that there were blue decorations that led to the back of the house where he could hear laughter. Angeal came out of what Cloud assumed to be the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"Hey, it's been a awhile since I've seen y'all. What's in the box?"

"You'll see." Cloud happily replied with a smile on his face. The smile was wiped off when he heard Genesis' voice.

"Angeal, who's there? Everyone that I invited is already here."

"It's Cloud and Vincent, dear."

"…"

When Cloud heard no response, he felt fear creep up his spine. He looked up at Vincent to see that he had a smirk on his face for some reason. He already knew that Genesis hated Vincent from the get-go, but he knew that his hate for him was a lot stronger since he was the one that hurt Sephiroth the most. He gasped in shock when he saw Genesis come around the same corner that Angeal had, only he had a chef's knife in his hands. He pushed Angeal out of the way and attempted to lunge at Vincent, only to be stopped by Sephiroth. Sephiroth had one hand wrapped tightly around the hand that held the knife and his other hand around his body. He motioned for Angeal to come and get the knife and Angeal did so, only to meet resistance from Genesis, who wouldn't let it go.

"Genesis, you have to stop. Let the knife go." Sephiroth ordered.

"NO! Why should I?"

"Because someone might end up dead."

"I wasn't going to kill them; I was going to make them _beg_ for me to do so." Genesis said as he glared at Cloud, making him flinch.

"And what good would that do?"

"It would teach them to never show up when they're not wanted."

"But they are, I invited them here."

Genesis' eyes widened before he let go of the knife and Angeal quickly went back into the kitchen to put it away. Sephiroth slowly let Genesis go and Genesis turned to face Sephiroth. He opened his mouth to sat something, but he shook his head before he walked passed Sephiroth and towards the back of the house where other voices were coming from. Cloud turned from Genesis walking away and towards Sephiroth and blushed. He looked very good in his black suit and green shirt with the first four buttons undone.

"Sorry about that…I forgot to tell him that you two were coming." Sephiroth said.

"Eh, it's fine. I'm used to him trying to kill me… You remember when he tried to take me out with that two by four because I cut off a chunk of his hair?" Vincent said with a grin that made Sephiroth chuckle.

"I remember that quite well… Come, everyone is in the dining room. We were about to cut the cake and unwrap gifts."

"Oh, um, I think you might want to go ahead and unwrap this one first. I don't think it can wait…" Cloud said with a smile on his face as Sephiroth stared at the box curiously. Cloud set it down on the floor in front of Sephiroth as Sephiroth kneeled down to open it. When he opened the lid of the box, he couldn't help but laugh, which made Genesis come back to where they were.

"What's going on in here?" Genesis asked with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing, I was laughing at the present I received." Sephiroth said as he turned to face Genesis with his gift in his hands. Genesis' eyes widened in horror as he stared at the white and black spotted Great Dane puppy with a large red bow tied around its neck. The puppy happily wagged its tail when Sephiroth rubbed its ear.

"She's exactly like the one you saw before and wanted. I figured since you're living here now, maybe they'll allow you to have a pet since we couldn't in the apartment…" Cloud said happily as he watched the puppy lick Sephiroth's cheek with her tail still wagging.

"Well you assumed wrong. She's not staying here. Send it back." Genesis said as he folded his arms.

"Why not? Just look at her face! Do you really want to give her back? She is my birthday present." Sephiroth said with a smirk, knowing that Genesis loved dogs just as much as he did.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. Do you know how big she's gonna get!"

"About three feet tops…don't worry. When she gets that big, you can ride on her back if you'd like…"

Cloud couldn't stifle the giggle in his throat, not even when Genesis glared at him.

"Here, hold her."

"No, dammit! Don't you try to make like –"

Sephiroth placed the puppy in his folded arms.

"Her…"

Genesis couldn't finish his sentence because of the puppy's big eyes and her lightly licking his chin. Genesis sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but the only way she stays is if she's named Minerva, got it?" Genesis said as he glared at Sephiroth. Sephiroth nodded and watched Genesis walk back down the hall with Minerva still in his hands.

"I think that she just became Genesis' puppy instead of yours." Vincent said with a laugh as he heard the people in the back of the house let out awes, obviously at seeing the puppy.

"I think so too. Well come on, they're waiting for us."

"Alright, Happy Birthday, Seph." Cloud said as he tried to kiss Sephiroth on his cheek, only to have Sephiroth bend down to pick up the box and mutter a thank you for the present before walking down the hallway. Cloud closed his eyes. He promised himself that he wouldn't cry…

* * *

Sitting at the dining room table was tense for Cloud, especially since he had to sit directly in front of Cid. All Cid would do was glare back and forth between him and Vincent before chugging down his fifth beer. He didn't blame Cid for how he was feeling, not one bit, especially when Vincent was acting like he did nothing wrong and that he didn't betray two of the people that were in the room. On the other hand, he was having fun watching Zack and Aeris' 9 month old baby boy, Sora, happily giggle as he tried to grab Minerva's wagging tail, who was still in Genesis' arms, much to everyone's amusement.

"You know, Gen, I coulda sworn that Cloud bought that puppy for Sephiroth instead of you." Vincent said, which made everyone lightly giggle.

"Oh really? Well, I coulda _sworn_ that if you'd hurt Sephiroth again that I'd snap your neck." Genesis said with a fake smile. The giggling stopped and the air in the room became even tenser as an awkward silence came over the table.

"Uhh…how about those gifts?" Zack said nervously as he passed his and Aeris' present to Sephiroth, trying to break the silence. Sephiroth nodded in thanks before he opened the package. He smiled and showed us the picture frame that had Aeris, Zack and Sora in it, with Sora pulling a fistful of Zack's hair with a big grin on his face. The next one came from Reno, which was a very expensive bottle of scotch, Cid gave him a box of cigars, and Tifa gave him a pair of new leather gloves.

"And last but not least is _our _gift." Genesis happily announced as he stood up and motioned for Angeal to bring it out while rubbing Minerva's head. Angeal came out carrying a skinny but tall box, making everyone whisper in wonder of what it is. Sephiroth got up from his chair and walked over to inspect it.

"I believe this is taller than me…" he said with a grin, making everyone laugh.

"Trust, it is. I think Gen may have a tad bit over-done it when he showed his to me and said that this was going to be our gift to you, but hey, Genesis spoils you enough as is…" Angeal smiled.

Sephiroth laughed as he heard Genesis snort and began to open the box.

"Angeal, I believe you're right…"

"What is it?" Reno asked.

Sephiroth turned around and held out his present making everyone duck when he swung it out over their heads as he made it touch the back door that led to the backyard.

"It's called masamune, the largest sword made standing at seven feet in height." Sephiroth said with a smirk on his face.

"And you just swing that thing around like that at everyone? You could've taken out your godchild!" Zack yelled as his baby tried to reach for the sword now.

"Zack, the sheath is still on…"

"So! That's not the point!"

"I know. I would never want to harm anyone with this, especially my godchild. It's going on my wall for display." Sephiroth said as he moved the sword out of the baby's reach and stood it up against the wall.

"What the heck made you get something like that for him?" Cid asked Genesis.

"Because it fits his personality. He's tall, lean, and can slice someone's head off if he needed to." Genesis smiled. Vincent grinned before standing up.

"Since it's such a happy mood, I'll go ahead and give my present now."

Genesis narrowed his eyes, making Minerva start to growl as everyone became silent in anticipation.

"Cloud, if you could…" Vincent said as he motioned for Cloud to stand as well. Hesitantly, Cloud did so. He too, had no idea what Vincent was about to say.

"Cloud and I…have decided to get married!"

Reno spit out the wine he had been drinking and everyone gaped in shock. Cloud stared at Vincent as if he had 50 heads. He couldn't breathe…

"And our present to Sephiroth is that we want him to be the best man!"

Cloud turned his head at Sephiroth and let a tear slip out of his eye before everything went black.

* * *

"Cloud!"

Sephiroth watched as Cloud hit the floor and Zack yelled for him as he got up from his chair to check on him. He turned to stare at Vincent, who stared back at him before he mouthed a word to him that he knew too well.

_Keeps._

That was all Sephiroth needed to see. It was just as he feared, Vincent was still playing the game…

"Well, that was certainly…unexpected. Congratulations and thank you for thinking of me to be your best man. As for everyone else, I thank you for celebrating my birthday with me and bringing gifts. I'll be out back if anyone needs me." Sephiroth said emotionlessly as he went over to the table and grabbed a cigar out of his box and poured himself a glass of the scotch before opening up the back door and walking through it. Sephiroth decided to sit on the edge of the deck that was away from the glass doors. He placed his glass on the wood and put his cigar in his mouth before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his lighter and lighting the cigar. He took a long drag of it before he blew the smoke out. He knew that Vincent would pull a stunt like that…he could _feel_ it as soon as he saw him in the doorway. He just didn't think it was marriage. Obviously no one knew about the engagement. Hell, _Cloud_ didn't know either by how fast he fainted. When he heard the door slide open and shut, he knew who was behind him.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Seph. I know you're thinking that you should've said 'Keeps' a lot sooner…"

"Actually, I wasn't thinking that at all… I was thinking about why would you let a damn game go this far! This isn't sandwiches, salads, toys, or whatever other bullshit we would say 'Keeps' to Vincent! This is Cloud's life and future that you're playing over!"

"Don't you mean 'we're'?"

"No, I don't! I told you three years ago that I was done playing when you almost got us both arrested for stealing that damn platinum watch!"

"Which you let me get arrested for!"

"You're damn right I did! I had nothing to do with it!"

"Yeah you did! You and I both liked that fucking watch and I said 'Keeps!' and got it before you could."

"Just because I said I liked it didn't mean that I had to have it then! For god's sake Vincent I was just saying that it looked nice! A lot of things look nice to me, but that doesn't mean that I have to have it as soon as I see it!"

"Well you didn't say that when you started dating Cloud! You took him away from me without saying 'Keeps' and you're just pissed off that I got him back and said 'Keeps' and now you can't have him!"

"Oh, so you slept with him because you were jealous that I asked Cloud out before you had he balls to do it? Is that why you went out with Cid instead?"

"I went out with Cid because I needed someone to keep me busy and I slept with Cloud because as far as the game went, he was still up for keeps."

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE FUCKING GAME! THIS GOES WAY BEYOND IT!"

"How so!"

"When I started dating Cloud at the orphanage, you acted like you didn't want anything to do with him and now all of a sudden you want him! If you wanted him before I got to him then you should've taken him then and saved Cid and I from all of this bullshit! I probably would've been with someone else by now and being happy for the two of you, but no! You only thought of yourself and that fucking game! This isn't a game anymore Vincent, this is fucking reality now! You need to let it go and tell Cloud the truth of why you're doing this!"

"Oh and let him run back to _you_? Fuck that! Cloud's mine now and you can't have him back!"

"WHO SAID THAT I WANTED HIM BACK!"

"You, wait…what? You don't want him back? I…I thought that he –"

"He _was_ the love of my life…even if you did tell him or he finds out the truth on his own and does run back to me, I wouldn't let him back in… What good would letting him back in do if I knew that no matter how many times I say that I forgave him that I would still hold some resentment against him? There's no point in it, and all I would be doing is preventing ourselves from moving on and finding someone else that could make us happier. I meant it when I told Angeal that I got over the fact that you both betrayed me and started dating each other. I…I forgave you both… If Cloud is happier with you, then so be it. Relationships fail all of the time, and…ours was one of them, point blank."

Vincent was silent as Sephiroth drank his glass of scotch before he put out his cigar and got up to walk back in the house.

"I'll still be your best man if you need me to be." Sephiroth said as he slid the door open and walked back in the house. Vincent still didn't say anything. He didn't expect for Sephiroth to say that he wasn't going to fight him for Cloud…the thought of Sephiroth not fighting him for Cloud never crossed his mind. Vincent sighed. When it came down to the game of 'Keeps', Vincent may have won some major battles, but by Sephiroth throwing in the towel and calling it quits, Vincent just lost the war and the game was over. Only thing left to do now was move forward…

**End.**

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully this cleared up some of the confusion. If not, then I'll give you the rough summary:**

_**When Vincent and Sephiroth were younger, Vincent came up with a game and called it 'Keeps'. How the way the game worked was if Sephiroth and Vincent saw something that they both liked or was interested in, one would have to shout "Keeps!" in order to get it. Whoever said it first, the other could no longer have it. Few years go by and Sephiroth meets Cloud and starts to date him, much to Vincent's annoyance since he saw Cloud first and didn't have the strength to make a move on him before Sephiroth did. Because he couldn't have Cloud, Vincent decides to date Cid. As more years pass, Vincent is quietly watching the relationship between Sephiroth and Cloud and remembers that Sephiroth never said "Keeps!", thus making Cloud still up for grabs, but he could never make his move on Cloud because he was always with Sephiroth. Vincent makes a move on Cloud years later when he heard that Sephiroth and Cloud had another fight and Sephiroth was spending the night over at Angeal and Genesis' house and that Cloud was going out with Zack and Reno for drinks, making it the perfect scene for him to make it look like Cloud cheated on Sephiroth with him, when nothing actually happened. (That fact will come out in the sequel!) Vincent overhears the breakup scene and tries to cheer Cloud up by saying that he'll take care of him instead, only to end up getting slapped in the face by the distraught Cloud. Vincent goes home and breaks off his relationship with Cid and decides to move in with Cloud when he heard that he finally gave up on trying to contact Sephiroth to explain things. When he arrives at Cloud's apartment, they fight and have sex for real that time, much to Cloud's shame sine he's still in love with Sephiroth. Vincent decides to tell all of their friends that Cloud and he are dating because he knew that they would tell Sephiroth. Months roll by and it's now Sephiroth's birthday and Vincent decides to claim Cloud for himself by telling everyone at Sephiroth's birthday dinner that Cloud and he are engaged and want Sephiroth to be his best man. Cloud faints and Sephiroth goes outside to clear his head. Vincent follows Sephiroth and they fight. The fighting ends when Sephiroth re-declares to Vincent that he's done playing the game and that he doesn't want Cloud back and he forgives them both. Vincent remains silent, realizing that Sephiroth wasn't playing the game when he started dating Cloud in the orphanage and just wants the whole situation to be over and done with…**_

**If that **_**still**_** doesn't clear everything up (lol!), then feel free to contact me! There will be a sequel… if you, the readers, would like one…**

**R&R**

**-**_**KTK**_


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